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"... and a Better Life" is the final mission in Saints Row 2.

Dane Vogel assassinated: Eric Gryphon named new head of Special Projects
Stilwater Gazette newspaper headline

Overview[]

Following on from the events of the previous mission,[1] Dane Vogel holds a press conference in front of the Saints Row Church. Having been promoted to chairman, Vogel promises Ultor will be taking "even greater strides forward" underneath him following Monica Hughes gracious green-lighting on the revitalization of Shivington. Playa and Johnny Gat attempt to assassinate Vogel, but Gat, hiding atop a nearby rooftop with a McManus 2010 sniper rifle, is spotted by a security guard. A short scuffle results in a misfiring and the security guard falling from the rooftop, and Vogel is quickly escorted to his reinforced The Job limousine as Playa emerges from the crowd with a handgun. As Gat provides support, Playa gives chase on foot and attempts to hijack the vehicle, but loses their balance and falls off after jumping on it.[2]

Vogel retreats to his office at the top of the Phillips Building and places it in lockdown. Playa commandeers a nearby Ultor Tornado attack helicopter and destroys the building's security stations. Playa shoots out the windows of Vogel's office and, exiting the cockpit in mid-flight, jumps from the helicopter and into the building before the helicopter crashes and falls.[3] After killing Vogel's personal security guards, Playa forces Vogel against a window. As Vogel desperately attempts to reason with Playa, Playa aims the barrel of their handgun at Vogel while he is in mid-sentence and shoots him in the mouth, knocking backwards through the window and making him plummet to his death. As Pierce and Shaundi arrive, Playa calls Tobias to fly them out on his helicopter. Aboard the helicopter, Pierce enquires what to do next, to which Playa replies, "This is our city. We do whatever the fuck we wanna do".[4]

As the helicopter flies across the Stilwater city skyline, the credits roll and the game comes to an end, leaving the events of Saints Row to be continued in Saints Row: The Third, starting from "When Good Heists Go Bad".

Story[]

Upon completion of the Mission, this description is available at Newspaper Clipboards.

Recently announced chairman of the Stilwater division of Ultor Dane Vogel has met an early retirement as the man voted the number 1 sexiest power player under 40 was defenestrated today. For more on this Earth shattering news, please turn to page 6.

Gameplay[]

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Disable Vogel's Limo before he gets away
HUD: Limo Armor health bar.

After the cutscene, three units of Notoriety are added, and Vogel is in a custom, heavily armoured Ultor variant of The Job with 30000 health. The limo which starts to drive around the Saint's Row District at a speed of 60, and does a block around the Church before heading east. If it gets more than 62.5 meters away, there is a 20-second timer to catch up before the mission fails.

An Ultor Five-O variant is parked beside Playa, and can be used to chase Dane Vogel's limo, although several Masako Bears soon arrive, which are a better choice of vehicle due to the Mounted .50 cal.

After Vogel's "Limo Armor" bar empties, the limo drives to the Phillips Building at a speed of 80, and the message "Vogel's heading back to the Phillips Building!" is displayed, although this is not registered as an objective. When Vogel reaches the Phillips Building, an unnamed cutscene plays, showing Vogel running inside.

Tips:

  • The Job can be stopped on foot with heavy firepower such as Annihilator RPG, Satchel Charges, AR-50 w/Grenade Launcher, AR200 SAW, Mini-Gun and McManus 2010.
  • After the mission starts, the limo stops for a few seconds then it starts moving. Shooting it immediately after the mission starts automatically makes the limo move and crash into an obstacle in front of it, which provides time to do additional damage to the limo.
  • Bring a Tornado, Bear or The General's Bulldog to the Church before starting the mission for extra firepower.
  • When Vogel heads to the Phillips Building, head towards the field to the north-east of the Church, as restarting the checkpoint returns Playa to where-ever they were when the cutscene played.
  • It is possible to completely stop Vogel's limo at any point by attaching a Satchel Charge to the front of it. Once the driver bails out, Vogel gets out and attacks Playa on foot. When the limo receives enough damage, the unnamed cutscene of the limo at the Phillips Building immediately plays.
Checkpoint - "Vogel Entered Building"
Unlabelled Objective: Enter any aircraft
Map Marker: Tornado

After the cutscene, Playa receives a phone call from Johnny Gat, although answering the call is not required. There is a blue map marker to a field to the north-east of the Church, located there is an Ultor Tornado attack helicopter guarded by a single Masako soldier.

This is the only checkpoint in the mission.

  • Tip: Using the provided Tornado is not essential if you prefer using another aircraft, but destroying it somehow fails the mission.
The building is in lockdown, destroy the security stations
HUD: Power Stations destroyed X/4

There are four security stations which must be destroyed, located in alcoves along the outside of the Phillips Building. Only one is marked on the map at a time, but it is not necessary to destroy them in order. The first one marked is at the back of the building, and each successive security station is at a higher altitude, in a counter-clockwise direction.

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Watch out for any enemy attack helicopters!

Enemy Ultor Tornados spawn every 30 seconds, prefaced by the on-screen message, "Ultor is on to you. They've sent an attack helicopter.".

Notoriety during this sequence is scripted and no additional enemies are dispatched.

  • Tip: Destroy the enemy Tornados as soon as possible before they cause further damage.
Get to the top of the building

After destroying the four security stations, fly towards the top floor of the Phillips Building to trigger the "Making an Entrance" cutscene.

Kill Vogel
HUD: Vogel health bar.

Inside Dane Vogel's office, there are a handful of Masako soldiers and Vogel himself. Vogel has 3000 health, more than the average civilian, and is armed with a VICE 9, but can also pick up weapons dropped by dead Masako troops. Each time he loses 20% of his health, he flees as far as he can before attacking again. While he is fleeing, he takes only 25% damage.

Once Vogel's health empties, the "End Game" cutscene plays, the credits roll, and the mission ends.

  • Tip: Jumping out the window of the Phillips Building does not fail the mission. It is possible to steal a Tornado from the Police Headquarters and kill Vogel with its weapons. Nevertheless, it is easier to bring an owned Tornado to the start of the mission, jump out the window of the Phillips Building and get in the provided Masako Tornado, then continue fighting with it.

Rewards[]

Newscast[]

Behind me stands the broken husk of the Phillips Building. Once the proud--if not phallic--icon of Saints Row, the Phillips Building has since been changed into a destructive monument, sculpted by a group of deranged artists known collectively...as The Third Street Saints. I'm Jane Valderamma, channel 6 news.
— Jane Valderamma

Trivia[]

Newspaper ep04 ..

The Stilwater Gazette newspaper clipping from the completion screen and Newspaper Clipboard, naming Eric Gryphon as Dane Vogel's successor.

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An Ultor security guard with a RPG Launcher

  • The titles of this mission and its first cutscene are an allusion to Ultor's motto, "A brighter future and a better life", which is featured on Ultor signs throughout the Saint's Row District.
  • When Johnny Gat throws the Ultor security guard off of the building in the opening cutscene, the Wilhelm scream, a popular stock sound effect, is played.
  • Dane Vogel's Ultor The Job, can be entered after the first checkpoint, and can be kept either during the first playthrough or by using a Mission Exit Glitch during a Mission Replay.
    • The Job has infinite mass during the mission but once the mission is exited, the limo becomes normal.
    • The Job cannot be towed during the mission.
  • During the cutscene where Playa jumps into Vogel's office from the Tornado[3] they are sitting in the front seat, but piloting the Tornado during gameplay results in Playa sitting in the back seat.
  • A Masako Tornado is used in the "Making an Entrance" cutscene regardless of which Tornado is used during gameplay.
  • If a Chainsaw is equipped, it is disabled during the fight with Vogel.
    • Line 600 of ep04.lua says "Players should not use a chainsaw against Vogel it makes bad things happen"
  • Upon reaching ground level during the "Kill Vogel" objective, no police or Ultor units are dispatched due to Notoriety. Roadblocks and random patrol cars are still present.
  • An Ultor security guard with a RPG Launcher appears in the freeway east of Phillips Building although he doesn't play any role during the mission.
  • The Masako Bear with 5 soldiers as passengers can be obtained by completing the first part of the mission on foot and sniping the Bear driver. The passengers do not get out of the APC.
  • Three Ultor security guards spawn inside the Phillips Building texture, near the second security station, and are not normally seen but can be killed with Tornado's weapons.
  • No part of this mission is timed. After the limo chase, there is no distance requirement.
  • The mission authors are Mark Gabby and Anoop Shekar.
  • Ultor security guards have unique quotes during the mission, such as "Vogel said "shoot to kill"."

Transcript[]

"A Brighter Future..." cutscene[]

Playa is on the phone with Johnny
Playa: "You in position Johnny?"
Johnny Gat: "Oh yeah..."
Playa: "Just make sure I get to Vogel."
Paparazzi: "Mr. Vogel, Mr. Vogel!"
Dane Vogel: "As most of you know, the Ultor Board of Directors were assassinated the other night...and while we at Ultor would like to take the time to mourn their passing, sadly that's a luxury we don't have. The Corporate Office has named me Chairman, and I want to personally let you all know not only will business continue as usual, but we will be taking even greater strides forward. Monica Hughes has graciously green lit a project that's very dear to us at Ultor...the revitalization of Shivington."
Dane Vogel: "In the coming days-"
Playa: "Shit..."
Ultor security guard: "Mr. Vogel, come with us."

Gameplay[]

Johnny Gat calls Playa
Johnny Gat: "You kill that asshole Vogel yet?"
Playa (Male Voice 1): "Not yet...he's got the Philips Building in lockdown, I don't know how to get in..."
Playa (Male Voice 2): "Workin' on it...he put the Phillips Building in lockdown."
Playa (Male Voice 3): "The bitch is hiding in the Philips Building...the whole thing's in lockdown..."
Playa (Female Voice 1): "I'm tryin', the guys slippery...right now he's got the Philips Building in lockdown, I can't get to him..."
Playa (Female Voice 2): "He ran into the Philips Building, he's got the whole place in lockdown..."
Playa (Female Voice 3): "The bastard is hiding in the Philips Building, the damn thing's in lock down, I can't get in."
Johnny Gat: "There's security stations all over the outside of that thing. You take a helicopter and blow those things up you'll crash their security..."

"End Game" cutscene[]

Dane Vogel: "Alright, let's not be too hasty here...you're upset, you're frustrated..."
Dane Vogel: "And you've got a gun. Which, ya know, I'd really like it if you'd put away."
Playa: "You should have thought of that before you sent a team to wipe out my gang."
Dane Vogel: "I tried telling the board that going after the Saints was a big mistake."
Playa: "They should have listened to you."
Dane Vogel: "Believe me, right now I'm agreeing with you 100 percent... but ya have to look at the positives, you're alive, they're dead and you have the Saints number 1 fan running Ult-"
Playa raises their gun and executes Vogel mid-sentence with a bullet to the mouth.
Pierce: "We missed it?"
Shaundi: "Told ya...now pay up."
Playa: "Where the fuck were you guys?"
Pierce: "Traffic..."
Playa: "What?"
Shaundi: "He's not joking, the roads've been blocked off."
Playa: "You see Gat out there?"
Shaundi: "Oh he's fine. He's still out there killing cops."
Playa: "Figures."
Playa calls Johnny Gat
Johnny Gat: "What is it?"
Playa: "It's done, time to pull outta there."
Johnny Gat: "You sure? GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME! I mean, I'm not runnin' out of ammo anytime soon."
Playa: "I'm sure....see ya back home."
Johnny Gat: "Later."
Pierce: "Who you callin' now?"
Playa: "Our ride."
Tobias: "Welcome aboard..."
Pierce: "So whadda we do now?"
Playa: "This is our city...we do whatever the fuck we wanna do..."

Unused lines[]

The subtitle file for Saints Row 2 contains several lines that are not included in the game.
  • They are named as part of the "End Game" cutscene.
  • They appear to be in the same format as "The Anna Show" pre-game cutscene.
  • During the "End Game" cutscene, as the Oppressor is flying away, there is a brief burst of static, similar to "The Anna Show" pre-game cutscene.
  • No audio has currently been found for these lines, and the exact order is unknown.
  • Jane's Newscast for this mission is also named as part of the "End Game" cutscene.
Anna: "So how does the incident at the Phillips Building affect your recently announced Shivington renovation?"
Monica Hughes: "It doesn't...if I learned one thing from my husband it's that we can't let terror grip our lives. These 3rd Street Saints want to cause chaos, and the moment we alter the way we live our lives because of fear we're empowering the Saints even more."
Anna: "So we can be expecting some great things to come from Monica Hughes?"
Monica Hughes: "Trust me Anna, like my husband, I only think big."
(Assumed channel change)
Young white male presenter: "...making this Aisha's 8th posthumous record to go triple platinum. In other news... Dane Vogel, newly appointed Ultor Chairman and number 3 on our list of Sexiest Corporate Power Players, was shot and defenestrated today..."
(Assumed channel change)
Troy: "As of this time we have yet to apprehend the assassins responsible for Dane Vogel's death, but rest assured we will find them..."
(Assumed channel change)
Announcer: "Ultor: A brighter future, and a better life."

Gallery[]

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... and a Better Life Intro - Playa on the phone

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... and a Better Life Intro - Gat watching Playa

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Johnny Gat with a McManus 2010

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Dane Vogel

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Dane Vogel

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Playa

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Dane Vogel

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A security guard and Johnny Gat

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Johnny Gat kicking a security guard

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A falling security guard

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Security guards protecting Dane Vogel

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Security guards shooting at Playa

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Johnny Gat helping Playa with a McManus 2010

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A Security Guard shooting at Playa

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... and a Better Life Intro - Playa landing on The Job

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Playa preparing to enter the Phillips Building with an Ultor Tornado

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Playa shooting a window of the Phillips Building with an Ultor Tornado

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... and a Better Life - Tornado outside the newly broken window

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Playa preparing to jump into the Phillips Building

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Playa preparing to jump into the Phillips Building

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Playa "landing" in the Phillips Building

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The Ultor Tornado getting out of control

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The Ultor Tornado getting out of control

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The Ultor Tornado exploding

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Dane Vogel

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Dane Vogel and Playa

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Playa

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... and a Better Life outro - Vogel

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... and a Better Life outro - Vogel and pistol

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... and a Better Life outro - Dane shot

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Dane Vogel being shot by Playa

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Dane Vogel falling from the Phillips Building

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Playa

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Dane Vogel's corpse

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Shaundi and Pierce

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... and a Better Life outro - Playa on the phone

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Pierce, Playa and Shaundi

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... and a Better Life outro - the helipad

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... and a Better Life outro - Tobias waiting with Oppressor

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Tobias, Playa and Pierce

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Tobias and Shaundi

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Pierce and Shaundi

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... and a Better Life outro - Shaundi and Pierce in the back of the Oppressor

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... and a Better Life outro - Pierce and Shaundi watching Gat

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Johnny Gat

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Johnny Gat

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Pierce

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... and a Better Life - pursuing the Limo

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... and a Better Life - failing the mission in an exploding Tornado

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An Ultor security guard with a RPG Launcher

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The Bear with 5 Masako soldiers, including dead one

Loading screen ep04 01 ..

Loading screen used after completing this mission

Loading screen ep04 02 ..

Loading screen used after completing this mission

Loading screen ep04 03 ..

Loading screen used after completing this mission

Loading screen ep04 03 alt ..

Alternate loading screen for this mission, showing a different Playa

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... and a Better Life mission completion screen

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Attack helicopter unlocked


References[]

  1. Mission: Salting the Earth...Again
  2. Cutscene: A Brighter Future...
  3. 3.0 3.1 Cutscene: Making an Entrance
  4. Cutscene: End Game


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